‘WE HAVE HISTORY’
The panel show’s stars reflect on working together previously and their guests this series
Jimmy Akingbola and Chizzy Akudolu are back for another series of Sorry, I Didn’t Know. The panel show was so successful during Black History Month that it has won a regular slot. The pair both got their TV break on Holby City and still reminisce about their days on the hospital set.
“We would always tease each other about our medical knowledge,” says Jimmy, who played Antoine Malick.
“Chizzy [who played Mo Effanga] would always beat me. I might know my lines, but she would know exactly what she was doing. But it was a family and for us to be doing that together, it was a dream come true.”
As the faces of Sorry, I Didn’t Know, Jimmy and Chizzy test comedians and celebs on their Black history knowledge. Guests on this series include former Strictly professional
Oti Mabuse, who was keeping her pregnancy under wraps at the time.
“I saw her bum and I thought, ‘That’s changed!’ But I didn’t want to say anything,” Chizzy says.
Joining Chizzy as a fellow team captain is another Strictly star, Eddie Kadi, who is entering his second series on the show. “He’s been a king for many, many years and it’s nice he’s getting this moment right now from [his run on] Strictly,” says Jimmy.
From Henry VIII’S royal trumpeter John Blanke to Marie Van Brittan Brown, the African American woman who invented the first home security system, Jimmy and Chizzy are always astounded by the little-known Black figures featured on the show.
“Our show is about shining a light on people that we don’t really hear about but we use their products every day,” Chizzy says.
The co-stars are also hoping to return to drama together. “There’s a Fleabag thing that we need to do,” Jimmy adds. “Hopefully ITV sees this interview and gets us in together!”